“You're now over the hill…” According to some, you should be winding down now.

The truth is, we are happiest in our 50's says Jonathan Rauch author of The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50.

Rauch is quoted in an interview with The Guardian "there’s a huge amount of untapped wisdom and potential to be unlocked. Because of the happiness curve, they’re often in a position where they want to give back. They want to be mentors, they want to be volunteers and they want to work at not so difficult jobs which allow them to use their skills.”

Research is showing more and more people in their later years are returning to study, re-training, re-educating, re-skilling themselves to either stay in paid employment, or, more excitingly: start their own thing.

The exciting trends are around the growing number of 50somethings starting their own business…I had a laugh at the term “oldpreneurs” coined in an article on this subject by Financial Times.

So, the last 20something years you’ve raised your children and they’re flying off to build their dream lives…While still at home of course...🤦‍♀️

The love you have poured into your child/ren or step-child has all been worth it. They’ve turned into the loving, responsible, intelligent, independent adult and member of the community you always wanted them to become. Sigh…

Over the Hill?

NO Way.. I hear you're saying?...I’ve still got life in me. I’m active, I’ve got so much to contribute to society. Life’s just begun…

Awesome. Great. So how are you going to manage that?

You’re still paying off all the bills and debt for the education, sports activities, and travels so you haven’t even begun to plan for the things you've always wanted to do.

Apparently at this time of your life you don't have any debt.

My experience personally and many years as a Financial Counsellor suggest there are many people in their 50's to 60's still carrying a lot of debt. Credit cards, personal loans, car loans etc.

Some people call it the midlife crisis. I call it a massive Wake Up Call

Have you been feeling that as well? Bogged down with the questions of What now? and Where to from here?

You’re still working and still enjoying what you do. You know you will be working for a few more years to come but you can’t see yourself doing this same job until the end of your days. Yet you need something.

I mean it’s a job, right? Its served its purpose, it helped you get the loan you needed, helped you buy the things you needed to get, covered the living expenses when your life was all centered around your young adults who are now off doing their own thing.

So. What if…Just, what if you could start to build your own income stream now?

I mean, generate an income from something that lights up your heart.

A talent, a skill, a passion, that hobby you know, that thing you could do all day and almost miss an important appointment because you were so engrossed in what you were doing.

What if you could turn around to support others who needed help with that same task you could do with your eyes closed?We owe it to society to pay it forward. There is someone out there struggling to find the answer to that problem you've already solved.

The life lessons, the falls, the wins, the challenges, the relationships. When I was working as a Financial Counsellor I would love sitting with my older clients and listening to their stories and so I learned so much from their journey and their regrets.

Bronnie Ware, Palliative Care Nurse Australia for many years supported patients who returned home to die.

From her years of sitting bedside with the terminally ill, Bronnie wrote an incredibly touching and powerful article turned book: Regrets of the Dying the 5 common themes that came through her time of sharing with her patients in their final weeks, days, hours…

Regrets are centered around: not having tried enough to live a fulfilled life:

Not following one’s own pathway to happiness

Not having the courage to express true feelings

Not living own fulfilled life but living up to the expectations of other’s

Regrets of working too hard

Regrets about not staying connected with friends.

Having faced my own mortality, I live my daily life constantly trying to ensure I go to bed at night having tried.

How many of us are feeling these regrets but still waste today not taking action?

Ask yourself this: What would my older-self say to me today?

so, what is the 1 thing you can do to start now?

Read a self-improvement book around overcoming your fears?

Take a course on how to develop your passions to a higher level?

Take a course on how to turn your passion into a business?

You only need to pick 1 to get started.

Don’t be afraid. Just take your 1st step which will lead to the next, then the next...